Today I’m sharing a case story with you from one of my recent graduates from Mindful Soul School who took the VIP Track with me.  This is just one of many client experiences that have had their lives changed by learning Mindfulness practice with me.  I will include her direct quotes in quotations so you know when she’s talking.

When we experience stress, self-doubt & overwhelm in life, it often creates an inner struggle.  We start to have turmoil about experiencing those things, which then only intensifies the frustration & stress of it all.  Mindfulness does not stop all stress from coming our way (when you can find the magic wand that does this PLEASE let me know), Mindfulness changes the way that we RELATE to our stress and ourselves as we navigate through.

Let’s use a roller coaster analogy – bear with me here.  Life is a roller coaster, and without Mindfulness you are riding on one of those shitty old wooden rollercoasters.  You know, the ones where you feel every bump, throws your neck out and feels like you’ll fly out of your seat on every turn?

We don’t want to be on that roller coaster.  We want to be on the fancy new roller coasters.  The ones that are WELL lubricated with smooth ball bearings, where the turns feel more fluid.  The ones that strap your body tightly with secure over-the-shoulder restraints.

Because listen, you’re on a roller coaster no matter what – let’s make the ride smoother.  

OK, let’s hear how my clients journey started:

‘I had seen Katy’s posts on Instagram, and it had never occurred to me before that I needed to invest in something like this. I felt like I already knew so much about mindfulness, having read multiple books and even taught some beginners mindfulness to at-risk youth in my role as a teacher. However, I had never fully integrated the practice, or really the mindset as I knew it now, and the evidence was clear in my roller coaster emotions and daily struggles to find my center.’

Here’s the thing.  Reading mindfulness books is great.  Reading social media posts is nice.  We INTEND to make all these changes, but of course life gets in the way.  It’s coming at us so fast that we can’t keep our feet on the ground long enough to actually make the changes.  

This is why going through a course or a program like Mindful Soul School – VIP Track is so critically important.  Having moments of insight is NOT the same as ACTUALLY integrating this practice into your daily life.  It’s a whole different ball game, and it’s why I created Mindful Soul School because developing a consistent pattern change requires practice & consistency.

Research shows that it takes 66 days to form a new habit, so when you commit to a program like MSS it gives you the support and accountability to ACTUALLY make the shifts that you want to see in your life.

‘I used to think it was some absurd and even impossible mental olympics to have goals and aspirations, but not get too attached to them. To be an intelligent critical thinker, but approach life with non judgment. Huh?! Most of all, I thought the goal of being in the moment and not swept away by my fear of the future or pain from the past was completely unrealistic for me. And I certainly do not mean to make it sound like now, in my post training life, I am some untouchable Buddha.
I started working with Katy after going through some very painful & challenging experiences with IVF, miscarriages & trying to start a family.  The experiences brought me to my knees, and it was going to continue for months to come.  The emotional pain was bringing me to new lows every day, and I knew that something needed to change.’

Here’s where I believe Mindfulness practice, and my program Mindful Soul School, is different than a lot of other programs out there that promise some sort of shiny perfect life outcome… Mindfulness goes DEEP.  It holds space for the heart of life which is often incredibly painful.  We deal with things like grief, loss, broken hearts, chronic stressors… this is part of the human experience and we rarely learn how to actually deal with these things.

Having these practices allows you to not only savor the most of life and create more joy, they stick with you even when it’s hard to see the light.

The way that I helped this client through Mindfulness, is learning to ‘zoom out’ from one’s experiences.  Learning to ‘observe’ them from a place of non-judgment & curiosity.  Learning to embrace the fact that all things come, and all things go – which helps us ride the waves more smoothly.

‘I was talking to my husband one afternoon and he said, “Wow, it appears Katy has really reset the CPU!” And that is exactly how it feels. I have a new central processing unit with which I can approach life’s various challenges (of which there are still plenty, believe me) and also life’s incredible joys that are offered in so many of the moments we live, even during the hard times.  I spend a LOT less time suffering, and a lot more time enjoying my life as it is now and finding peace in this space.’

As high achieving women, we have a lot on our plate.  If we are approaching life with a CPU that is not efficient, we are highly stressed, overwhelmed & depleted.  With a more efficient CPU, things go more smoothly.  We can navigate through everything with more ease.  

Mindfulness teaches us to accept the fact that life includes challenges and pain (acceptance is a skillset that we are not often taught, and it’s more than just logical ‘knowing).  Acceptance is something that must reach into our body and soul.  We have to practice it ‘all the way’.  When we accept the unavoidable ‘present moment’ pain that sometimes arrives, we save ourselves the added layer of ‘suffering’ that resistance brings us.  When we question ‘why?!’ or judge that pain is ‘wrong’ and ‘bad’ or it ‘shouldn’t be here’… we add suffering to the original pain.

‘It  is safe to say that this experience with her far exceeded my expectations. I did the curriculum + coaching (Mindful Soul School – VIP Track), and I really needed that extra engagement with her to fully integrate this work. I loved the curriculum, but given the intensity of my emotions and the significance of what I was experiencing, I really needed that time of clarification and application to my own personal life and the way that the curriculum might best be used with my unique circumstances and mindset.’

Our society is severely lacking in mentorship & support.  We are raised up into hyper-individuality, which teaches us to do everything on our own and not ask for help.  It teaches us that we are ‘weak’ or somehow incompetent if we can’t figure things out on our own.  This is SO unhelpful and inaccurate.  

The truth is, we THRIVE so much more with support.  The most successful women I know consistently invest in mentorship and personal development.  Here’s the thing though, don’t invest in coaching because you believe there is something broken with you!  Invest because you know you are worthy of it.  Invest because you love yourself deeply.

As humans we are EVER-changing and EVER-evolving.  I believe strongly that it’s so important for us to consciously direct ourselves through that evolution, because that is where we start to create a fulfilling and meaningful life.

‘Working with Katy has changed my perspective so deeply that my work in this incredibly important aspect of a life well lived continues to be much more fruitful and fully realized than it would have been without her. There is a Japanese proverb that really resonates here: “Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.” To me, Katy was that teacher, and I think anyone who wishes to achieve greater peace and wisdom in this life would benefit greatly from her program.’

The knowledge that you learn in Mindful Soul School is not just available to you when taking the course, you will have it for a lifetime to look back on and utilize.

‘I really feel like I would be lost without the course curriculum.  Even though I have finished the program now, just a couple weeks ago, I had another setback and found myself swimming in the sadness of the scenario, so I logged back into the Mindful Soul School and reviewed a couple of key modules that I knew would help me.  It was like turning on the lights instead of tripping in the dark.
I have noticed a massive shift in the way I experience the world and my own mind, and that shift was elusive to me in all my years of experience with mindfulness before Katy. There is something particularly sensible and effective about her unique presentation of these concepts.’

Mindfulness is not a ‘quick fix’, but it is a long-term powerhouse for creating a life with more joy, presence and ease.  It will change the way you relate to yourself, the way you show up in relationships, in your work, the way you make decisions.  It is a practice that compounds over time, that you continue to shape and grow.  It is a new pair of glasses – a new operating system.

-You will begin to experience a deeper fulfillment in life.

-You will experience more presence & connection in relationships.

-Leave your work in your ‘work space’ and shift into play & relaxation when you are home.

-You will get out of your head and into daily experiences that can offer pleasure: truly connecting with life through your senses.  Savoring the riches of life even more.

-You will get unstuck from anxiety, frustration & tension MUCH more quickly.

Instead of seeking quick, fleeting solutions for happiness and escapism like shopping, Netflix binging & endless scrolling (not that we don’t also need those sometimes too), I encourage you to consider something more lasting.  Something that will place your roots into the ground.  It is not until we can root deeply into life that we can branch up into the light.

The whole reason I started my business was to spread this ancient, powerful & evidence based practices to more women on a broader scale – because we need more EASE in our lives.  I offer these teachings in a Self-Study Online Course format, as well as a VIP Track which includes individualized coaching sessions with me.

If you’re ready to integrate this practice into your life, click here to schedule a free consultation call.  Can’t wait to connect with you!

(I would like to sincerely thank my client Angela Cunningham for sharing her story with us).